# Would I lose weight eating nothing but McD breakfast? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067 "2013-06-03T20:20:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/41 "2013-06-04T03:44:19Z")
> [@Harmonix](#): > > An [egg mcmuffin](http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.breakfast.275.Egg-McMuffin.html) has exactly 33% of the daily recommended allowance of sodium. It’s high considering 3 would put you at 100%, but I’d wager that a significant portion of Americans go over 100% every single day. Sky High is probably the wrong adjective. And actually the stuff about salt being bad for you is overblown - and more or less unsupported by science… [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?pagewanted=all](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?pagewanted=all) > [@](#): > > This week a meta-analysis of seven studies involving a total of 6,250 subjects in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure. In May European researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that the less sodium that study subjects excreted in their urine—an excellent measure of prior consumption—the greater their risk was of dying from heart disease. > **[It's Time to End the War on Salt](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/)** > > The zealous drive by politicians to limit our salt intake has little basis in science ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/42 "2013-06-04T04:04:39Z")
Frankly, if you are healthy to begin with you could probably get by with that diet for very long time. The thing that’s going to be (IMO) potentially the biggest issue is the lack of fiber and moving that sludge through your colon. ---
**Author:** ![Mathematics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/43 "2013-06-04T04:21:03Z")
Why not add in some Metamucil or other psyllium husk fiber supplements? I know for a fact that a lot of Americans actually eat a diet that is almost as bad as that, so go hog wild, I’d say. And as mentioned, you will definitely be at a calorie deficit. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/44 "2013-06-04T11:09:29Z")
Coke is full of sugar, so diabetes is probable. Sugar also makes you fat. Even if you took supplements, you need more roughage than that, or suffer constipation. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/45 "2013-06-04T11:45:50Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Coke is full of sugar, so diabetes is probable. Sugar also makes you fat. You need to look at overall food consumption, not just a single piece of the puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/46 "2013-06-04T12:04:51Z")
Frankly, your biggest problem would be hunger. You find an Egg McMuffin filling now because it’s part of a diet routine where you are normally eating your maintenance calories (if you aren’t currently losing weight) and so you feel sated. But start eating only one McMuffin three times a day, and they will quit filling you up nearly so much. The hunger will get you long before the monotony will. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/47 "2013-06-04T12:25:02Z")
820 mg of sodium! That is more than half the daily max for anyone with high blood pressure or a sodium restricted diet. Over half, just for breakfast! But I’d be more concerned about the kind of eating habits the OP is adopting. McD’s everyday? Three times a day? Seriously you are setting yourself up for all kinds of future struggles, it seems to me. Why teach yourself and your body to eat such a diet! You don’t live where nothing else is available, so why would you do this to yourself? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/48 "2013-06-04T12:25:16Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Metabolisms vary but using an average and assuming your burn rate is approximately an average of 12 -13 cals per lb of body weight per day for an adult man with moderate activity you’d need approximately 2400 - 2600 calories per day to maintain that weight. How about if the OP doesn’t qualify as “moderately active”? I wonder if that terminology is part of the reason that so many people have a hard time with calorie counting and dieting. Everybody wants to think of themselves as “moderately active” of course, but I suspect it isn’t true for the majority of American adults. I’ll take myself as an example, so as to not make any assumptions about the OP. Of course I don’t like to think of myself as a sedantary, lazy slob. I have active hobbies! I like to take day hikes! I’m on my feet a lot at work! But to be honest with myself, on a typical day, my activity consists of a couple miles of walking around, mostly to and from parking lots, and some light housework. I doubt that really qualifies as “moderately active”. (Still, various sites on the internet say that the OP’s basal metabolic needs are around 1900-2000 calories/day, so even if he is completely sedentary he’d lose weight at a moderate pace on this hypothetical diet.) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/49 "2013-06-04T12:35:46Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > LOL. Ok, but they are available in the U.S? Do they go by a different name maybe here? In my area - many thousands of miles from Mexico - you can sometimes get them at small stores/restaurants. For example, there’s a small restaurant at my local airport specializing in Mexican food that sells them. I’m not sure if the owner gets them from a supplier of some sort or has a buddy fly a couple cases in from Mexico (remember the airport location) every so often. I’ve occasionally seen them at Mexican produce stands (the sort where the signs are IN BIG SPANISH WORDS with teeny English words underneath for us visiting gringos). The tip-offs are that first, the writing on them is in Spanish and two, the ingredients list “sugar” instead of HFCS (but in Spanish, so it’s “azúcar” if I recall correctly) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/50 "2013-06-04T12:48:10Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Coke is full of sugar, so diabetes is probable. SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE DIABETES! God, will someone please beat that meme to death already? There may be a lot to argue about here, but that’s one bit of ignorance I wish was already eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/51 "2013-06-04T12:49:17Z")
Note that the Coca-Cola Corporation is behind the availability of Mexican Coke in the US; it’s not secretly smuggled north of the border. It started off as something to appeal to Mexican immigrants, but now lots of Americans buy it as well. Presumably the Mexican bottling company is happy for the additional sales. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/52 "2013-06-04T12:56:41Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Three times a day? I am talking an egg mcmuffin (300 calories) and a Mexican coke (120 calories). This is my regular breakfast at work and it is delicious and filling and since McD is talking about serving breakfast all day I am wondering how harmful eating this three times a day would be. Back to the OP… As noted by others, eating this and nothing but will get monotonous. Heck, I’ve eaten the same breakfast nearly every day for 40 years and while I’m (obviously) not tired of it for breakfast I wouldn’t wants to subsist on it entirely. If you’re looking for crash weight loss - not recommended but whatever - it would work if you didn’t cheat. A more healthy option would be to eat your egg mccmuffin for breakfast and lunch and have a dinner heavy on foods with fiber, such as vegetates, and lower in salt, fat, sugar, etc. It would be easier to adhere to for a longer period of time and more healthy in the long term. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/53 "2013-06-04T13:01:09Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > _Nothing_ but? No Vit C in either, so hope you enjoy scurvy. … wiki says “_most soft drinks contain vitamin C as a preservative.[citation needed]_” i wonder if this is true, and if so, is it enough to prevent scurvy? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/54 "2013-06-04T13:04:50Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > wiki says “_most soft drinks contain vitamin C as a preservative.[citation needed]_” > i wonder if this is true, and if so, is it enough to prevent scurvy? Citirc acid is in Diet Coke, but I don’t think it’s in regular Coke. Phosphoric acid is, but there doesn’t seem to be enough Vitamin C to list it on the nutrition label. ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/55 "2013-06-04T13:20:32Z")
Would you lose weight? Yeah probably. Would you also have detrimental long term health effects from eating the same thing 3 meals a day for an extended period of time? Yeah probably. My answer would be the same if you said “would I lose weight eating just carrots 3 meals a day?”. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/56 "2013-06-04T13:30:45Z")
Someone recently ate nothing but 20 potatoes per day for over two months. I think he was the head of the Washington State Potato Commission. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/57 "2013-06-04T13:35:39Z")
Sorry, I realize this is just a hypothetical scenario, but I keep thinking “How’s he going to get the Egg McMuffins after 11 am? Is he just going to buy three in the morning and save two to heat up later?” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/58 "2013-06-04T13:37:23Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE DIABETES! > > God, will someone please beat that meme to death already? There may be a lot to argue about here, but that’s one bit of ignorance I wish was already eliminated. Thank you for pointing this out. I’m as tired of hearing it as you are. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/59 "2013-06-04T14:09:24Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > …and since McD is talking about serving breakfast all day… Whoa, whoa whoa! Stop the presses! Is this true?? If so, this is what I’ve been dreaming about since I was a child. I have to know when this is coming to my town. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067/60 "2013-06-04T14:18:39Z")
The answer to any question of the form, “Can I lose weight by eating only [some food type]?” is always “yes, if you eat less of it than you need to maintain your current weight.” I mean, theoretically you could eat 5000 calories a day of chocolate covered eclairs, and if you spent 5 or 6 hours jogging on a treadmill you’d still be losing weight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-lose-weight-eating-nothing-but-mcd-breakfast/660067.md?page=4)